Category: Asian American Children’s Books

Asian American books for kids including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, South Asian and more.

Lao Woodcarving Artisans Teach Me Tuesday Laos Pragmatic Mom Pragmatic Mom

Exploring Laos with Books for Kids, Culture and Art

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I’ve never been to Laos but I want to. My first introduction via children’s literature is from Mali Under the Night Sky, A Lao Story of Home. This story is universal in that it gives a gentle background to the refugee immigrant story and has a place in any classroom or home. I’ve found amazing Lao artisans who work with materials on hand including silver, wood, fibers and more. Finally, The Plain of Jars is fascinating stuff and still a mystery to be solved. Come explore Laos from your armchair with your children!

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Korean-American Picture Book Teaches Multicultural Lesson

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Juno is a little boy who receives a letter from his grandmother in Korea. He can’t read Korean and his parents are busy with the usual household chores. Despite the language barrier, he is able to understand the letter though his mother eventually translates it for him. The letter is special as are the enclosures — a dried flower and a photo of his grandmother and her new cat. And Juno decides to write a letter back. One that will also transcend their language barrier. He makes several drawings and encloses a very large leaf. And so they write each other back and forth … at least until she comes to visit!Juno is a little boy who receives a letter from his grandmother in Korea. He can’t read Korean and his parents are busy with the usual household chores. Despite the language barrier, he is able to understand the letter though his mother eventually translates it for him. The letter is special as are the enclosures — a dried flower and a photo of his grandmother and her new cat. And Juno decides to write a letter back. One that will also transcend their language barrier. He makes several drawings and encloses a very large leaf. And so they write each other back and forth … at least until she comes to visit!

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Barefoot Books, multicultural books for kids, The Boy Who Grew Flowers

Best Barefoot Books from my Barefoot Book Fairy

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The book and card selection that Leah sent showed me a whole different side of Barefoot Books. What I loved about each item was that it combined an educational aspect with entertainment. The books have nuances that include multi-cultural themes (Little Leap Forward), magical realism (The Boy Who Grew Flowers), and math concepts (The Real Princess) that makes each book special, interesting, and engaging. As for the card decks, these are really well done and I know that we will be using them a lot!

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best asian easy reader, grace lin, pragmaticmom.com Ling and Ting Not Exactly the Same Grace Lin Asian American voice pragmatic mom

Asian in America (Amy Chua, new Asian KidLit, dumpling recipe!)

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There was also much consternation from the Asian American community who bemoaned the set backs in stereotyping that Amy Chua’s hoopla is causing. It’s true. Growing up Asian in America means to most of us, imagery that includes thick glasses, school yard teasing and/or fights, and strange packed lunches. In the realm of children’s literature, this is slowly starting to change in an exciting way and now there are books that actually reflect what it means to be an Asian American child in America.

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Burma Pagoda from Department of State, Teach Me Tuesday Burma Pragmatic Mom

Burma (Myanmar) for Kids: Books and Culture

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And that is all it took. Plus me realizing that I knew nothing about Burma, to the point that I didn’t fully realize that Myanmar is Burma. Such is Teach Me Tuesday … I teach myself (that’s the Teach Me part) and then I share what I hope is also interesting to others. I’m not sure if I would feel safe traveling to Burma now with my family so this is my way to arm chair travel — through children’s literature, food, photo essays, and the briefest pit stop into the history. I hope you enjoy the trip. And please share in the comments section any experiences you have had in Burma. And if you have more children’s books suggestions, please share!

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